Iraq will be hoping to revive its glorious past in the Gulf Cup and show that its disappointing campaign in the last edition was a one-off when the team kicks off its campaign in the 18^th edition of the Gulf Cup on Thursday against Qatar.

The Iraqis have had an impressive record in the competition, winning three out of five competitions they competed in with their first team. Despite not taking part in most of the seventeen editions of the competition, Iraq still holds the second best all-time record in the competition behind Kuwait’s nine wins.

Ironically, the last time the Iraqis took part in the Gulf Cup in the UAE was in the 6^th edition of the competition in 1982, they finished second. Iraq were virtually assured of the title going into the last game against Kuwait, before orders came from Baghdad to withdraw from the tournament and gift the title to the Kuwaitis to boost their morale for the world cup later that year.

The tournament represents the first major competition for the team under coach Akram Salman. Despite guiding the team to the Asian Cup finals and the West Asian Games gold medal in Doha in late 2005, Salman has never managed to win the support of local press and fans alike.

Since taking over at the helm of the team almost two years ago, Salman sought to inject young blood into the side. He virtually kept the likes of Haidar Mahmood, Haidar Obaid and Abdul Wahab Abulhail out of his plans. Instead, he gave the less glamorous but more workaholic players a chance. The likes of Ali Hussien Rahayma, Wisam Zaki, Haitham Kadhum, Khalid Mosheer, Yassir Ra’ad, Samal Sa’eed became regulars under Salman.

Despite a stunning 2-0 defeat against Singapore in their opening Asian Cup qualifier, the team managed to win three and draw two of its next five games and to finish top of their group ahead of China.

Despite inconsistent and lackluster performances, Salman seems to have instilled a sense of resilience, commitment and discipline in the team. Bassim Abbass continues to be left out of the team for disciplinary reasons and misses out on the tournament. Star playmaker Nashat Akram was only called back into the team in October after formally apologizing to the coaching staff for his role in the captaincy row that erupted during half-time in the defeat against Singapore. Not surprisingly, the side looked sharper and more lively with Nashat, giving the Iraqis reason for optimism ahead of the Gulf Cup. 

Salman has largely kept faith in the team that guided Iraq to the Asian Cup finals. Six players from the Olympic team that reached the final of the Asian Games in Doha in December 2006 are also included in the side. Razzaq Farhan, who has stayed away from the team since last March, is recalled and the tournament and will almost certainly announce his retirement from international football after the end of the tournament. There are no notable absences in the squad, with the exception of influential midfielder Qusai Moneer, who was ruled out with a knee injury. In his place, Salman will likely move Ahmad Kadhum or Ali Hussien Rhayma from central defence, where the Najaf’s Haidar Aboodi is set to fill in the gap. Nash’at Akram and Hawar Mullah Mohammad are certain  to start in the playmaker and left midfielder positions respectively, while Mahdi Kareem will face stiff competition from rising Olympic star Karrar Jassim for the right midfield position. In attack, Younis Mahmood will likely be partnered by Emad Mohammad.

Iraq’s strength lies in the depth of the squad. Mohammad Kassid showed during the Asian Games that he is more than a capable replacement for Noor Sabri in the case of an emergency. Samal Sa’eed, Haitham Kadhum, Khalid Mosheer, and Ahmad Abid Ali are all capable of adding extra bite and agility during the game. While in attack, the team seems to have an embarrassment of riches, with veteran Razzaq Farhan, Mohammad Nassir, Saleh Sadeer, Ahmad Salah and rising star Mostafa Kareem all offering extra options upfront.

Yet according to Salman, his team’s most important strength lies somewhere else.

“We are playing for all Iraqis; hence lies our power. There is no place here for the new ethnic and religious labels that have decided to become part of our life after the war”

“We came here to fight for the title. We have gotten used to the lack of preparation for major tournaments. We have proved time and time again that we are more than capable of rising to the occasion when it matters.”

Since this article was written, Iraq exited from the first round of the tournament, amidst great controversy and a string of accusations thrown at the coach for match fixing. This did not mean, however, that the players, true to Ali's predictions, didn't emerge as some of the most highly skilled and most courageous, delivering a brand of football that could have been argued was the most beautiful.